1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for abrading, machining, polishing and washing a spherical object such as a bowling ball, and more particularly, to a bowling ball resurfacing device capable of uniformly resurfacing the entire surface of a bowling ball while causing the bowling ball to rotate in various directions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since a bowling ball rolls on a lane with friction against the lane, a surface of the ball is susceptible to wear or scratch, In particular, since the bowling ball always comes into contact with the lane at their substantially identical contact portions, only a specific portion of the bowling ball may be unevenly worn. The unevenly worn or scratched bowling ball makes it difficult for a bowler to freely use his/her skills due to its unpredictable and irregular spin. Consequently, the unevenly worn or scratched bowling ball reduces the joy in the game and exerts a great adverse influence on the score of the game. Therefore, in order to remove the scratch from the ball and to make a perfect sphere of the ball, the surface of the bowling ball should be periodically resurfaced.
In consideration of the above, there have been proposed a plurality of automatic bowling ball resurfacing machines. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,896 discloses a bowling ball resurfacing machine comprising three shafts each pivotally disposed in a main body at an angular interval of 120 degrees around a bowling ball in a manner as to support the bowling ball therein, driving motors for rotating the corresponding shafts in a forward/reverse direction, and abrasive cloths attached to the shafts for resurfacing the bowling ball.
The bowling resurfacing machine of the ""896 patent has an advantage in that it can efficiently resurface the bowling ball, but still has a disadvantage in that the bowling ball is unevenly resurfaced because its rotating direction cannot be vigorously changed during the resurfacing process. Further, there is another disadvantage in that high capacity driving motors for rotating the shafts in the forward/reverse direction during the resurfacing process are required. Furthermore, there are problems in that noise is generated from the driving motors of which forward/reverse rotation is repeated and life of the driving motors is shortened due to frequently repeated forward/reverse rotation of the motors.
As another example, there has been proposed a bowling ball resurfacing device in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-39093. The Korean publication discloses a bowling ball resurfacing device capable of abrading and machining a surface of a bowling ball while causing the ball to rotate in various directions. The resurfacing device attempts to solve the drawbacks inherent in the afore-mentioned bowling ball resurfacing device and comprises a plurality of supporting posts rotatable about corresponding vertical axes; a plurality of rollers which are rotatable about corresponding horizontal axes and mounted on a top end of each of the supporting posts to support a lower portion of the bowling ball; a first driving mechanism for causing each of the rollers to revolve on the corresponding horizontal axis; a second driving mechanism for causing each of the posts to revolve on the corresponding vertical axis so that the rollers can be rotated; and an abrasive member for coming into friction contact with the surface of the bowling ball and resurfacing the bowling ball. According to this bowling ball resurfacing device, the first driving mechanism and the rollers cause the bowling ball to revolve on the horizontal axis, and then, the second driving mechanism and the supporting posts cause the rollers to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the corresponding vertical axes. Thus, the surface of the bowling ball held and supported on the rollers can be abraded and furbished while changing an axis of rotation thereof in many different directions.
However, the bowling resurfacing device has an advantage in that the surface of the bowling ball can be evenly abraded and furbished while causing the bowling ball to rotate in the different directions, but still has a disadvantage in that since the structure thereof is complex, it is difficult to manufacture the resurfacing device, production costs thereof are increased, and failure thereof occurs frequently.
Accordingly, the present invention is contemplated to solve the above and other problems inherent in the prior arts. An object of the present invention is to provide a spherical object resurfacing device capable of uniformly abrading, machining, polishing and washing the entire surface of a spherical object without leaving any unevenly worn area on the bowling ball surface.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bowling ball resurfacing device that has a simplified structure and can be manufactured in a cost-effective manner, while exhibiting an enhanced durability and operability.
In order to achieve the above objects of the present invention, there is provided a bowling ball resurfacing device comprising a housing, first and second rolling wheels which are rotatably provided within the housing in a spaced-apart relationship with each other to hold and support the bottom surface of the bowling ball, a driving motor operatively connected to the first and second rolling wheels for causing the first and second rolling wheels to rotate, a friction contact unit for supporting the bowling ball in cooperation with the first and second rolling wheels and for making frictional contact with the surface of the bowling ball to abrade the bowling ball, and a relative speed regulator for intermittently changing the rotational speed of the second rolling wheel with respect to the first rolling wheel so as to alter the axis of rotation of the bowling ball.